Any love for Univega?

[retroJIM]

Hi all, I've just picked up this Univega Alpina 5.1.

Needs a a good clean, but everything seems salvageable and mostly original. It's running Shimano STX with Alivio Cantilevers and Chainset. I've not looked at it in any detail yet but I'm guessing it's from the mid 90s?

I don't know much about Univega. Can anyone share any details? There's just one brochure from the 80s in the Archive.

 

[CassidyAce]

Some history of the brand on Wikipedia: HERE. If you do a search of the forum, you should find some examples on here too. The general consensus seems to be that they're very nice but underrated bikes. Water could collect in the dropped chain stays, though, so watch out for that. A guy I work with has one that he's had since 1996; he rides it in every day, it's still going strong and he still likes it. In other words, it's a good, usable bike.

 

[jimwise68]

I bought one last year on FBMP, great little bike and very underrated IMO

 

[Spokesmann]

Great bikes, I've got two and Alpina 500 form 1996 and this 1994 Alpina 5.1

 

[Stressed]

Never had one but I've been tempted a few times- nice looking bikes

 

[ibbz]

Great bikes, I've got two and Alpina 500 form 1996 and this 1994 Alpina 5.1

Really tasteful bike, look and choice of components

 

[MR OX]

I've had a couple of Univega (actually have one if the fold atm) good quality bikes, up there with the more popular brands. Don't know why they were so underrated.

 

[dirttorpedo]

I've had a couple of Univega (actually have one if the fold atm) good quality bikes, up there with the more popular brands. Don't know why they were so underrated.

I suspect its similar for all those great old American designed and Japanese built bikes from the 80's and 90's - they were inexpensive which belied the quality of the design, they suffered from the "made in Japan" bias from the 50's and 60's, and they didn't have the cachet of established European brands or early American brands like Ritchey, Breeze, etc.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Univega touring frame converted to a gravel bike. Fifty pounds of gear, three years and many miles of gravel with no problem. Real high strength frame.
There is a pistol in the triangle frame bag. The pistol is really to make me comfortable when sleeping alone in the bush. I won’t do much if I’m attacked by a bear, cougar or wolf. I have seen all theses critters when I’m in the bush here. So far I’ve only been bothered at night when bike wilderness camping by coyotes packs. The pistol allowed me to ignore them and relax so I could sleep. Once in the morning there was a big coyote 50 meters away when I got up.

 

[widowmaker]

I miss my Univega